


Deliberate Romance

by TheTacticianMagician



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Awakening Spoilers, First Time, Spells & Enchantments, Vaginal Sex, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 02:57:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7873507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTacticianMagician/pseuds/TheTacticianMagician
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To get back at Odin and Selena, Laslow wants to bed Ophelia. He doesn't have as many high hopes for it, but the mage has her own ways of surprising him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deliberate Romance

**Author's Note:**

> Odin and Selena may come off as kinda mean in this. I didn't mean to, but hey, feelings of revenge need to stem from something. Their three-way friendship is pretty vitriolic in canon though. You should've seen their supports in Awakening, shots fucking fired man.
> 
> My biggest concern here is the possibility of having made Ophelia act like Soleil. It's my first time writing her, so...
> 
> Written for the Fates Exchange over at tumblr. I have another work from the exchange yet to be posted too.

  
Laslow pretended he didn’t see nor care, but in truth every time he saw Odin and Selena, his supposed-to-be-great-friends Owain and Severa, spending time together, he felt a pang of jealousy.   
  
Sure, it was cute, he was glad for them, really. But it still pained him to see them, so unfocused on romance and courting, coming together so nicely while he himself was doomed to failure over and over again.   
  
That was supportable, he was ok with it; he had to expect it at some point lest they all be alone forever. The rings and sideglances, those were fine. But then, they started fucking. Really loudly. With him in the next room. And then they showed up the following days with interesting hickeys. And then they had a kid. A  _ daughter _ , a tiny ball of chub that through headache-inducing time warps became a fucking gorgeous young woman with Lissa’s smug little wink and as big-lipped as her dad. Neither of them would shut up.   
  
To avoid the blabbering duo and keep his own green-eyed envy from ruining meals or making them choke on food or something, which he swore happened once, Laslow would tuck himself away and have some depressing coffee. Like sad espresso sessions. Despresso.   
  
What was worse was this churning, revenge-kicking will inside of him that told him to sweep Ophelia off her feet and right into his bed. Owain and Severa were quick to tease and admonish him on his flirty ways, his failures, his ongoing virginity, but would they have anything to say for themselves if he got their daughter?   
  
His brain (and body) reaaally liked that idea, even if his conscience stepped back. That was petty and he cherished love above all else, forming a relationship out of shallow revenge would just make all the bad things his friends said of him sound true.   
  
But that didn’t stop him from his usual flirty routine; Ophelia was a very lovely lady indeed and he wouldn’t ignore that just because of the storm brewing in him. She didn’t brush off or shoot down his usual mild advances, which was a good sign for hope. She’d call him “uncle Laslow” in an affectionate way which probably meant he was on her good side (unlike just about every other female in the army).   
  
It wouldn’t be hard to fall in love with her, given any amount of time. The problem here was making her fall for him. Considering he was successful in his advances maybe 4 times in his life, he laid his expectations very low.   
  
..   
  
Ophelia grew up extremely quickly from the outerdimensional view, and was raised on secretive tales of the outrealms and how this new place in war was their home for now. Laslow visited her almost as much as her parents did while she piped up from kid to preteen, and the opinions she was raised on, of him being generally insufferable but having a kind heart, helped shape her view on the man. He was their childhood friend and managed a retainer position just like her parents.   
  
But there were more recent knowledges she hadn’t been told as a child, such as his incorrigible flirting and how he was a huge romantic and a goddamn virgin. But most recent of all, she got to know that he danced.   
  
This piqued her interest immediately, being something she wasn’t expecting. There were many a ways to be a dandy, but still. This was something else important about her father’s great comrade-in-arms! The absolute next person she looked up to.   
  
Knowing he danced while hiding, Ophelia scouted out the Astral Palace grounds for him, especially at night. Once seeing Azura head out to the small woods, she followed suit without thinking twice, and surely enough, Azura led her to Laslow. They were both silently watching his private performance, hidden, unbeknownst to him. And honestly, he was really good.   
  
She was completely entranced until Azura looked at her and she jumped in place and almost yelled out in startle. Thank the fucking gods she had a darkness-veiling spell ready to be casted with a flick of her wrist, hiding them from Laslow’s sight before he could see them.   
  
Azura apologized with her gaze then nodded her complacence with having a fellow spectator around. So that meant they could just watch the male dancer together from now on? That was cool. She was gonna have to perfect an invisibility spell so they could be closer to see him better. Having Azura there sure made her feel less guilty at least.   
  
That was the moment Ophelia felt she probably held Laslow in a higher regard than even her parents did.   
  
And that... felt like a responsible weight she never felt as a child.   
  
..   
  
After seeing another marriage going down in the army, Laslow thought he should cast off his envious thoughts immediately by going for a nice, warm soak. Lord Xander was in the bathhouse at this hour sometimes, and he was very good, quiet, protective company.   
  
But no sooner had he walked in and pulled off his outer vest, he had to halt as he felt glares chill his skin.   
  
No less than four pairs of eyes were on him, three of said pairs looking angry. Beruka and Velouria looked terrifying, while Effie seemed just ready to lay down some scolding, and there was Ophelia, who was the only one not looking mad.   
  
This wasn’t the first time this happened, but just like the first time, Laslow froze and found his throat clogging up and stealing his breath. The sight of curves, glistening water sliding downwards, fitting swimwear, and he was feeling gone.   
  
He was grounded by a wary voice coming from Effie, “I thought you knew better by now.”   
  
That ringed true in a way, considering basically half the army was marrying off and this wasn’t the first time he stumbled in a female bathing session unwarned. His helpless ogling couldn’t be doing any good either.   
  
He shakily broke himself out of the reverie and snagged his vest back on, apologizing hurriedly and sincerely saying he was expecting Lord Xander to be here instead. Laslow walked out with some difficulty, feeling himself burning whole, and a familiar tightness push against the front of his pants. Fuck, fuck. Fuck.   
  
Ophelia felt a wave of sympathy for him, probably because the other three bathers showed the exact opposite. They had likely been target of his freelance advances before and were having none of it now. The dark mage didn’t even get any inquiries when she left to dry off and dress, because at least one of the women must have thought she was going to cast a spell on him for the hell of it.   
  
But when she left the bathhouse, she couldn’t find him again. He couldn’t have gone that far. Not with the odd way he was walking back there. She had about three inklings as to why, too.   
  
..   
  
Laslow pressed his back against the outer wall of the palace, out of everyone's sights, struggling with trying to get a hang of himself. With the stress of war, he was hardly able to unwind, same as back in his dimension, so his waves of arousal were very persistent.   
  
He bit his lip remembering that Owain, too, used to be like this, but now he was married. He was loved, he had someone who actually wanted to touch him.   
  
_ Damn it! _ _   
_   
The dancer shifted his thighs, fabric brushing against his sensitive areas in an erotic sensation that creeped up his spine. It was not like he could become worse somehow, so was it bad to indulge?    
  
It was not like he didn't have worth either, like there was nothing in him to love. Right? He might as well just visit Lilith and pray for someone to love him then, see if that does anything.    
  


He let his hips do some movements on their own, sending those light drizzles of pleasure up and to his arm, which reached down to rub between his legs and give him some much needed relief that he couldn’t get with the hot spring’s waters.

 

How would it feel... if Ophelia was interested? She wasn’t put off when he walked in just now, so it was not wrong of him to hope. She was so perky, and magical, and charming even through her ultra special speech and gestures like Owain’s...

  
Such form-fitting clothes, so cute. Maybe they could train together someday, get hyped, dance in the battlefield and make each other sweat with second-perfect dodges. Her adorable breasts would bounce just so, almost misaligning with the clothing...   
  
Laslow huffed as he continued palming himself, legs opening wider and a free hand pulling his garments down just so, just enough to expose him, making him hiss. If Ophelia had anything of her mother, she would surely be teasing... He reenacted that by switching to very light touches to his bare member, her voice singing a laugh in his head. She'd be bold and forward to make up for any nervousness. He moaned lowly, as if beckoning for more, even though he was alone.   
  
  


  
That's when his high-war senses told him of an incoming presence, and he momentarily froze before hastily tucking himself into his pants; what a time to not have his arm-shield...   
  
"Oh, hey, Laslow! You ok? I was looking for you." It was Ophelia.  _ Really, really now? _ She was glowering and flushed from the nice bath she must have been having until he interrupted. Her skin looked clean and soft. And he hoped she wasn't noticing his tussled trousers and his arm positioned to hide himself.   
  
"Yeah, I am. Sorry about that." His voice came out a bit meek, which probably didn't look convincing coupled with his red face. So he quickly covered that up with a smile and a clearer voice; "What's a good retainer who fails to know where his liege is? That was faulty."   
  
"I'm not mad, by the way. I mean, I don't think we have separate baths? So that's fine. The others have been there for a while so they're bound to leave soon, you can go back no problem." She made a waving off gesture.    
  
"Oh, thank you for the heads up, and for believing in me. Not everyone does that."   
  
"No problem! A hero's gotta be helpful. If I see Xander around, I'll be sure to let you know." The blonde waved and skipped off, almost tripping on the way.   
  
Laslow sighed heavily. His hard-on hadn’t entirely drooped, but at this point he didn’t think he could care; might as well take a cold shower.   
  
He stood up, slightly shaky, then trudged over to the water's edge, and let himself fall into it.   
  
..   
  
Ophelia was finding it difficult to recollect herself as well. Standing there, she had to pretend she didn’t see anything- when in fact she well saw him touch himself and seem lost in it for the fleeting moment before he sensed her presence and freaked out.

 

The sight and everything sent great sparks through her body, feeling as good as the times when she... did some stuff. Hey! She didn’t do that sort of thing, no, sir! (maybe twice... or three times... okay, maybe a few more... ah, nevermind.)   
  


The mage wasn’t oblivious to this at all, though she wasn’t as bad as Nina either. Come on, sex was good! It felt great! Her parents were enthusiastic about it for good reason. And she knew why Laslow was riled up then.

 

Something within her thumped and hoped she was most of the reason for it. Was that selfish of her?

 

But she remembered the words of others about the dancer. That he really wanted a girl. That he wished to be with one.   
  
She was like the living proof that his childhood friends were successful while he was left behind. This was a dark way to look at things, and she much preferred the view of being a Chosen One like her father.   
  
Ophelia snapped her fingers; she was going to have to turn things around, with both their ignited feelings on the leeway tableplate of fortune, joining to make a mouth-watering alliance, a comeback for the ages!   
  
Her heart raced at the very thought. Something else also felt racing. "Down, fell hand." She chastised.   
  
..   
  
After making marching progress in the "real world", the army retired to the astral palace to eat, sleep and preparate for the next day. They were getting good at this switching between planes thing.    
  
This time, during dinner, Ophelia did notice Laslow leaving. So she picked up her plate and followed him.   
  
Laslow looked surprised when she sat by him on the outside steps, still nonchalantly eating her food. He tried to go back to eating normally as well, but was expectant of any possible reason she'd give as to why she was out here.   
  
Maybe it was because she was a dark mage, but she seemed to pick up on that vibe easily and said, turning to him, "There's going to be desserts today. Why did you leave?"   
  
"Ah..." He dwelled on a proper answer. "Today hasn't been the best, so I thought to gather myself. When you're alone you don't have to worry about messing up."   
  
Wow.   
  
"Hey, it's fine. Nobody is barred of mistakes, even a chosen one like me. You wanna talk? I mean, I do have something I want to ask you about later." She replied lightly, making sure her attention was obviously on him rather than the dinner on her lap.   
  
Ophelia could see he was nervous, but he put on a smile. "I would be hard-pressed to say no to such a lovely lady."   
  
"Then it's settled! I wanna know first how long was it for you here while I was growing in the Deeprealms." She nudged him amicably.   
  
"Honestly? It might have not been more than three months here. I'm still surprised you kids still hold affection for us considering you spent so much more time with the caretakers from these realms. Seve-" Laslow had to bite his tongue. "Ah, Selena had to spend awhile away while she was carrying you, about six months for her which I think was a few days here? This just boggles me. That kinda makes her older now, too."   
  
The blonde nodded, munching away on her food. She already knew her mother's original name was Severa, in no thanks to her parents' slip ups, but she wasn't about to let them know she knew yet. "With that in consideration, I'm glad we aren't treated like babies here. Three months. I'm flattered to be seen as a capable adult!"   
  
“War is something else. If you try to push others down because of their age when they’re actually capable, that’ll only hinder them. Not that you look like a kid, mind you.” Laslow wagged a finger. “Your magic abilities are nothing to frown at, either, and that’s key.” He tried to finish up his dinner, hoping that his innate charm wasn’t completely lost on her.   
  
Thoughtful, Ophelia also turned to eating, wondering if she had anything to prove - and if there was a way to have him mention her bloodline and family. Selena had mentioned not liking to hear the dancer talking, but she was spurned on. Her eyes furtively glanced at the fork sliding into his mouth, and something clicked in her mind. Oh yes! Her magic! Now that’d make her doubts definitive.   
  
After finishing their meal, Laslow began, stomping away unnerve. “So... you said there was something you wanted to ask me.”   
  
“Yeah. I think we ought to scoot away a bit first. It’s about... before.” She stood up, and waited for him to do the same.   
  
“Sure.” Before? This was... he didn’t talk of it even with Xander.   
  
Ophelia led them, holding their empty plates, up onto the bordering watchwalls that surrounded the palace. She glanced around for potential followers or onlookers, but they seemed to be all flocked on the dining hall or somewhere else.   
  
It was even darker here than where they were, being that the palace relied mostly on moonlight for night illumination. Nonetheless she turned and looked at him, staying close.   
  
“This might be tricky. It's that... Father won’t tell me about his past. But you know about it too, don’t you, Laslow? Or as I overheard him call you... Inigo.”   
  
He startled at the mention of his old name, that in itself almost enough to bring him back. So she knew; Owain must have mentioned only enough to pique her curiosity. He also had the habit of going off on a tangent so he must have edged her to no end. Not to mention Severa too. They couldn't even talk about how they met, for instance.   
  
"You of all people in the army... I don't think I could hide that from you. Yes, we have secrets. Me, and your father and your mother." He said lowly, wary of anyone who could be listening.    
  
"Yes. I know. You're foreign, in some way, a way different than me and the kids being made to grow in pocket dimensions on our own. And now I'm almost as old as you are, and no explanation. I can't even be sure of when dad is talking of his darkness or when he's reminiscing... unless mom says something of the sort."   
  
"But you do realize why we keep this from everyone, right? We're not some random people raised in some farm on the edge of Nohr. It's something much more than that, and nothing light to say."   
  
"I know, that's what ticks me! This mark here on my arm... Proof of my bloodline... He says he has it too, and that someone would have been happy to know I inherited it. But he won't talk more.” She huffed.

 

“Do you mind if I see it?” Laslow asked, though he didn’t doubt her. Maybe he just needed it to actually ground himself, to know his past wasn’t some sort of elaborate dream.

 

Ophelia hesitated, looking at her right arm. Before the man could redact what he said, she slipped off the black sleeve and rolled up the yellow one, baring it halfway to her upper arm, where indeed, a darker-than-skin mark of the Exalt lay. The same one he'd see in Lucina's eye that made his heart skip a beat. The same as was on Owain's underside wrist.   
  
"That is indeed it." He said simply. "The Mark of the Exalt."   
  
"What does it mean?"

  
"That you have royal, holy blood in you."   
  
She perked up; royal blood? Was she a princess like Elise? The mage fixed up her sleeves, feeling somehow purer inside. This was already more than she expected to get today. "Does my mother have something like it too?"   
  
"No, no. This is on Odin's side only. Let's not... get too ahead of ourselves here." Laslow shook himself, thinking it over. Ophelia was happy with it, but likely because she knew little. That knowledge alone didn't carry the burden of the deaths, of potentially having to take up the throne when the next loved one died. Though it wasn't fair to keep all these important things from her. And if the three of them died in this war, who would remain to tell her?   
  
"I know, I know, you weren't supposed to be telling me even this. So I won't be pushing too hard." Ophelia still looked at him expectantly, but understandingly.   
  
This was tough. If Odin or Selena knew, they could have his neck. But disappointing this girl, treating her like a child and not the magic warrior she was- it was not in his nature.   
  


"Well... you're already a couple steps in, so I don't think we should just keep everything from you. I don't think our oath of secrecy included our own family, really. We weren’t expecting family to begin with."   
  
"Really? You'll tell me some things?!" She leaned in hopefully.   
  
He saw a chance; it was either give up now or take it. And it wasn't in his heart to just desist. Laslow offered a smile, giving her a wink, and her face seemed to lighten up. "I can tell you a few things, with a little condition. I want a kiss on the cheek~"   
  
Eyes watching her expression, the dancer was relieved to see her smile. "You don't have to make a bargain to ask me for that, you know."   
  
Oh? Ooooohh?   
  
Laslow hardly had time to think about what she said before she tilted forward and smooched his face, soft and warm and oooh man he liked this girl.   
  
Ophelia was still smiling when she moved away. "No telling my parents I know anything, right? I can handle that."

 

He nodded, cheek still tingly. "Well, well. Where should I start? Remember, just a little info, no spilling all beans or anything of that sort." He wanted to keep things as lighthearted as possible.

 

"First... I want to know how Owain and Severa were with you." She nonchalantly piled their plates so they could be easily taken to the kitchen for washing.

 

Laslow's eyes widened a fraction; they could both say that, yeah, it was odd of her to ask that first as opposed to how was her bloodline and who was involved. But just as he was interested in her, she had interest in him as well. Even if he didn't know she watched him dance, even if he didn't know she was going to be his "first catch".

 

"How your parents were with me? Well..." Emotions sizzled within him and gave clearer wording than if he thought hard about it. "We were all childhood friends. All raised like you were- not in a deeprealm I mean, but to fight. Your father wasn't a mage back then, he fought with a sword."

 

"Whoa." She was hard pressed to imagine that. Then again, Odin had tried to introduce her to the sword before the cool spells, which didn’t fly with her.

 

"Your mother was more or less the same as now. We didn't change a whole lot... We may be friends, but me and your parents fought a lot. We used to say some bad things to each other.  We didn't do a whole lot of listening to what one another had to say, so our personalities and way of being barely underwent any changes. And that's what caused most skirmishes. In the battlefield we were fine, but out of it, whoosh. I'm still surprised they even got married, but the feeling of being a third wheel was with me even before then... Huh..." He shook his head, "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying these things. What kind of child wants to hear that their parents may not be a good match? I'm sorry. They do are good with each other. We didn't change outwardly, but... we learned a lot. And still are learning."

 

"You did come to a... new dimension, together, so that must account for something, right? I don't mind hearing any of that, they're almost my age, so I know things weren't bound to be smooth for a while like with normal couples."

 

"I made it sound like it was awful. We couldn't even bear to be horrible in our situation, actually, and we didn't really mean what we said. At least I hope they didn't mean those things..." Well, what if they turned out to be true now? Owain had proved his outlandish methodology actually aided him in battle, Severa proved herself likable and forgiving, and he - he hadn’t actually netted a single girl with his ways.

 

Taking him by surprise, Laslow found himself being hugged, Ophelia’s eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around his back.   
  
“Thank you for sharing these things with me. Seriously. You’re great.”   
  
This day was just messing with his heart more and more. Maybe his hope in courting her wasn’t so far-fetched as he thought.   
  
“You’re welcome, Ophelia.”    
  
They held the embrace for a while, warm and comfortable, her head under his. Just sharing the rise and fall of their lungs, the softness of their fabrics on each other.   
  
Until a veritable shadow appeared, and they stepped away to receive Xander.

“Lord Xander!” Laslow said dutifully, looking up at him. Xander wasn’t so tall, but his title made it appear so.  
  
“Hello. I was searching for Ophelia. She’s on washing duty today.” He explained, voice full of patience.  
  
“Yeah, that’s right. I’ll be there right away!” The mage boomed, clutching the dishes she held and rushing down the stairs.  
  
The pair stayed in a short comfortable silence before the prince smiled warmly and gave his retainer a tender gaze. Laslow tried to not look nervous.

 

"What's that?" Xander asked with a hint of mirth. "You have got this happy look to you. It's refreshing to see genuine smiles from you like this."

  
"Ah, well, some days are better than others. I'm glad you noticed, my lord." He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. Having a girl caring for him did way more for his mood than he thought.   
  
..   
  
Up in her room, Ophelia roamed the pages of an old tome she liked to have around with one of her hands. With the other, she twiddled the unwashed fork carefully between two fingers.   
  


  
It still retained a bit of Laslow’s saliva on it, which was what she had to facilitate spellcasting. At least it’s what she learned from her father, with extra tips from Nyx. The tome she currently held had a lot of namely “don’t take this lightly” spells, but then again, this is dark magic. It’s not playground stuff one way or another.   
  
A lot of these were interesting. Paralyzing spells that tensed up one’s muscles, spells that only allowed to speak while mumbling, that made one lose sense of balance, that allowed for smells to be visible, that forced one to speak in rhymes... but she just wanted Laslow to be forward, nothing more.   
  
There was one that seemed pretty attention-catching; unlike mind and psyche-reading spells that looked impossible to perform for her at this time, this looked manageable to cast. An impulse-speak spell that had the castee unable to hold back thoughts and mostly unable to lie as a result.   
  
Wow, this was actually perfect. Not only would she know how he feels, she'd be able to gut out some info about their past. Smartness! Feels so good to be a dark mage!   
  
It shouldn’t last long either; the tome says the body with this affliction eventually just dispels it with how intent and draining it can be. And Inigo was a pretty sincere man, so it should be fine.   
  
..   
  
To ensure her spell had any effect and that Laslow was alright, Ophelia went to visit him first thing in the morning. If she could find him that is.   
  
Which was thankfully soon, as he wasn't very far from his small room. “Hey, Laslow! How are you feeling today?” She asked fairly innocently.

“Uncharacteristically chatty, I’d say. Been talking even to no one in particular. Which feels kinda weird.” He said, “Though my day certainly brightens with just you showing up.” He... hadn’t planned to say that out loud. Though oh well, it was fine.

She eventually owed him an admission to having cast a spell, but the day just started out. She would see how that goes. “That’s nice to hear! Maybe you’re in a good mood today, more gung-ho, too.”

“Given yesterday I certainly am in a better mood. Thanks to you.” This time his tongue clicked in annoyance. It was like he wasn’t being given time to really think about his words before saying them. “Why am I talking like this? I’m usually more careful with my wording...”

He seemed to be catching on.

“I have an idea of what it could be, as a reader of tomes and all... but it’s really early to say anything.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I also just woke up, so it’s no surprise I’m not working properly. But I wouldn’t mind to listen to what you have to say just to hear your voice.” Laslow almost gave a step back then. This is kinda the point that a girl would walk away, but Ophelia didn’t seem phased, looking quite happy actually. “I really can’t shut up like I’d like to here, but thanks for being patient with me.”

At that moment, Selena was approaching them, grumbling out a “good morning”. Laslow found himself unable to hold back a “Hey Selena, you look radiant as always.” 

Thank Naga this impulsiveness switched out her name properly, or they would have problems. The redhead raised an eyebrow, unsurprised but miffed. “You do know I’m married now, right?”

“Yes, yes, I am aware, sorry, just stating the truth. Very aware in fact, I’d say- oof.”

He was (thankfully) stopped by Ophelia squeezing the air out of him with a hug. “Good morning mom! You do look well today! Not a one foul being could hope to tarnish your visage!” She grinned at her.

“G-good to see your wonderful daughter agrees.” The man stuttered out.   
  
Selena didn't fail to notice the sudden intimacy, which Ophelia had grown out of after childhood as far as she remembered. Maybe she was looking too much into it, and it could be just the fact that it was  _ Inigo _ that she was edgy about.

“Aw, don’t make that face, Sev. She likes me.” 

Ophelia had to almost spring aside when her mother seemed to get a rush of angered energy and pulled Laslow by the collar of his outfit. “Hey! Mom! It’s fine, it’s fine!”

Selena appeared to ignore her for now, growling close to her old friend’s face.

"Don’t you dare try anything of yours on her. You hear?"   
  
"Watch me."   
  
Both jolted at his response, shocked. Ophelia opened her mouth and closed it. Somehow this felt more powerful than a thunder tome.

"Wow! Hey, hey now, I didn't mean to say that?!" Laslow panicked, expecting grievous physical harm to follow.   
  


Unexpectedly, Selena didn’t try anything. She actually loosened her grip on his collar. "You're lucky I trust you, In- Laslow.” She then released him. “I don’t want to be that mom who keeps her daughter under an iron fist, either, but watch out.”

“Will do.” He managed to struggle out before she walked away.

They watched her off and it really must have looked quite like something because Camilla, who happened to be nearby, walked up to them.

“Did something happen?” She inquired in her usual semi-cooing tone.   
  
"She's just worried I might sweep her daughter off her feet." Laslow replied; he couldn’t  _ not _ .

Camilla seemed amused. “Oh, I see. Did poor Selena think she had only war to worry about with children? Don’t let her pull your ankle, Ophelia.” She ruffled the mage’s already haphazard hair.

“Nobody can hold a chosen heroine down!” The blonde reassured her. It was kind of a relief that the man seemed to not have anything to say or think now; he’d been catching on way too quick.

As the Nohrian charmingly walked away, with or without the intention to follow her retainer, Ophelia turned to check on Laslow. He seemed to be thinking if the way he was doing some sort of monosyllabic chant was any way to go about it. She hadn’t known the extent that the spell made one verbally impulsive, and that was a sobering proof of its power.

Fittingly, the man was frowning. “My vocal chords just won’t give me a break today. I’m surprised you aren’t finding it that weird. Maybe it’s a sign that my body’s full of energy, so maybe if I dance I’ll fix that...” Once again his face flared indignant at himself, “What?”

Oh-oh... He would never just bring up his dancing so casually like that when he wasn’t aware that she knew. The blonde felt a sense of impending danger that was telling her to scoot away as quickly as possible, but a rival sense to that told her to stay close and support him and not leave him in the dark. Especially when it was her fault.

“Is this perhaps... But I shouldn’t be doubting her... ahh...” He looked conflicted, and glanced at her.

...Shit. Regrets.

"I don't want to be mean at any rate, but is this perhaps an enchantment you've cast on me?" He asked with the same lack of restraint he'd shown until now.   
  
Ophelia looked sheepish and patted the floor with her shoe. Laslow's expression didn't change, remaining neutral, and she sighed. "Well, yes, it was indeed a spell. Just to make you more likely to speak your mind, nothing really out there. It's not meant to last long either. Sorry, maybe this was too soon?" She shifted her weight around.   
  
"Don't be sorry. Is it that you don't trust me? I... I can't hold back any thoughts. I think I may need to be gagged." He winced; it indeed wasn't natural, how his mouth was running wild and unrestrained.   
  
A spark thrummed in her spine at that thought, and she blamed Nina completely.   
  
"Actually, I do trust you! I know you're sincere, too, so it's not about avoiding lies. It's more of letting your feelings out." The blonde twiddled her fingers, "And yeah, maaaaaybe I also did it to get more info on my parents' past."   
  
"Letting my feelings out? About what? I do talk, maybe not about my dancing, maybe you want to know that I've fallen for you-" His eyes widened and he trembled with his helplessness on talking, "And that I want to take your virginity and show Owain and Severa that I'm-"   
  
Ophelia watched in silent startle as he punched himself below the ribs, falling backwards on the grass. "Hey! Are you alright?" She asked, kneeling before him.   
  
"I shouldn't be saying things. I don't want to be saying things." He coughed out.

“Look, I see this was a mistake to do without your consent,” She winced, though her heart was racing miles at his confession. It was exactly what she was looking forward to, just not, not like this. It was another level entirely than seeing him yesterday- no! Don’t think about that  _ now _ ! “I can try to cast it off.”

Even with knowing he’d been spellbound, the man didn’t have it in him to dislike her. She was worried about him despite what he just said? The gods must be real.

“I’m glad to know it’s not my fault. Not that I’m really blaming you but it is your doing. But now I can’t stop myself from making a complete fool out of my person, so yes a dispel would be appreciated.” His mouth simply ran with his thoughts, like they were one and the same, as if his mind had a voice.

The dancer noticed that she was hesitating quite a bit, weighing the idea and outcomes. She bit her lip.

“I want to ask you a favor... Can you try to hold onto that spell a little bit longer? Of course I’m in no place to ask, being invasive like this... So don’t feel pressured.” Additionally she wasn’t a hundred percent sure she could dispel it as easily as she hoped. Aftershocks were also a thing.

“Okay. Okay, I think, there must be things you want to ask me, right?” The man conceded, quickly as his impulsive words wouldn’t give him a break.

She nodded, “I’ll stay by you so you don’t get in trouble with the others. So are we pledged to this ephemeral promise?”

“Alright. I’ll be a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. For today.”

“Thank you so much... Inigo!” She hugged him, which was definitely very forward considering the things he’d said.

The words in his mind died down for the moment, with a simple appreciation for her in its stead.

..

“You really aren’t bothered? By what I said I mean?” The greyett asked a small bit later, sitting with Ophelia on the steps leading to the shallow waterways.

“Not really. Why would I? And, I guess I owe my own share of sincerity here. Look, I... already knew you danced. I saw you sometimes.” She confessed. “You’re really good.”

The way his face flared up was cute. “I guess I did have good reason to be wary when I snuck off. I didn’t think anyone would  _ want _ to follow me...” She was about to apologize, but his spell-checked impulsiveness lead him on. “Happy to hear though. It’s just embarrassing. My mother was a dancer, and she taught me, but she was just so much better. Our army already has Azura, so I wouldn’t be needed even if I did have the courage to perform.”

“Hey, that’s not true. Nobody would say no to an extra dancer. Everyone needs the morale.” She elbowed him lightly. "Not to mention Azura thinks you're great too."   
  
"She's seen me too!? Aah..." He slumped back; this dimension's being a wild ride just like his home one. "There's so much information spilling out in such a short amount of time. I’m surprised you haven’t stepped out with overwhelm."   
  
"Sorry. It’s half my fault too, anyways. I guess it's good information at least."   
She dipped her ankle nonchalantly in the shallow stream.

  
"Good information until my past comes up, then it stops being good."   
  


Ophelia’s movements slowed to a stop. “There... was a war too, right? In that past.” This was part of why she spellbinded him.

“So many of us, orphans. Just because a monster wanted to destroy everything. Lucina had to...” He tried to take a deep breath despite the words wanting to run over him. “Owain is Lucina’s cousin. After your grandmother died, she rose from princess to Exalt. She had that brand, in her eye... still has, she’s still out there. The only one who could kill Grima. The one who had to...” 

The mage couldn’t fail to notice the grim vibes, the way Laslow’s hands were shaking a little.

“They didn’t deserve it. None of them... We didn’t have much of a choice, born in the Shepherds and then constantly besieged by those dark creatures... Which is why I’m afraid now, if there’s a Dragon God set on destruction here as well, ready to take us- ah. I-it’s not good to be going off on this track.”

She leaned against him, pressing her side to his. This was quite a bit to take in, something to remember later to fully absorb. "Let's switch it out then. We can talk about now. Uhh, how do you like - being a retainer and getting to be friends with everyone?"

Laslow was thankful for her trying to avoid that issue for his sake. Even though this situation was her responsibility, so it makes sense.   
  
Was he always this defeatist when it came to girls? Ophelia was the one who was turning his hope around now, so he should be enjoying that to his fullest.   
  
The blonde wasn't gonna warn him that he was voicing all these thoughts without noticing. She simply listened on as he began to talk again as though he hadn't said anything. "I think I'm lucky, to be Xander's retainer and earn his trust like that. Doubly lucky considering I come from another dimension. It's an honor, and I get to make new friends. You're a prime example.” He cocked his head in her direction.

“I’m glad. I mean, if it wasn’t for this whole situation, I wouldn’t be friends with anybody here either. I’d still be a baby just dragging everyone down.” She didn’t really enjoy the thought of still being a baby as she should be. She was just fine with how young and good-looking everyone was here.

“Hmmm... Lucina was thinking of something like this, using Naga’s blessing to warp time... Come back to our young parents.”

Ophelia seized that thought before it could grow, lifting up his chin. “So as you said, Lucina’s a princess, and like an aunt for me. So what was she like?” She harbored a playful grin. “Prettier than me?”

A wave of heat rose to Laslow’s face. “Um, actually, well, she...” The spell wasn’t a wonderwork for when his mind was also jumbled. “You can’t just make me compare people, you’re both so beautiful and intelligent and full of willpower, it’s- it’s hard.”

“It’s fine, silly. Was it her that got you to... y’know...” The blonde made wide gestures as if trying to encircle the entire army grounds.

“Flirt with girls a lot? Actually it was my mom. Wait that sounds off. What I mean is mom suggested me talking to girls to overcome my shyness. Who knew a spell like this would be just fine as a substitute,” he shrugged jokingly and Ophelia laughed. “It wasn’t that Lucina caught my eye especially, well maybe she did, but what I’m saying is, all of the girls in the junior Shepherds were beautiful. You come from one of them, you’d know.”

“Mom isn’t anything to sniff at, I get it. But were they accepting of your advances? I see that mom isn’t, but...” Or any of the merchants. Or the smiths. Or anyone in this army for that matter. But she didn’t have to bring that up.

“Oh, yeah, Severa was the worst about it. But overall I got nothing. Anything I said went straight past Lucina’s head because she didn’t get it. I thought the same with Cynthia. Kjelle was clear on being uninterested, Nah was blunt, Noire would point arrows at me... Let's just say I'm conditioned to rejection by now." The man shook his head; he didn’t know what he did wrong.

“No yesses, not even a kiss?” 

"Yeah. I'm... pretty much a virgin, still. The only touching I’ve ever gotten were beatings."   
  


“Ow.” She had to wonder if Xander was the only one who saw worth in him.

"Also, how long does this chant last? Forever?" Laslow had to ask, thankful he wasn’t really having thoughts about their- “I mean, it’s fine, being like this with you here.” Nevermind.

  
"I believe it will fade out soon, actually. The tome mentioned a generally short time." She explained, “And with a warrior like you, it’s bound to not last even the intended time.”

He nodded understandingly. “I guess I should use that time for something else. Like picking berries, that’d be swell and keep people from trying to pick conversations with me.”

“I’ll be by your side all this time.” The girl rose up preemptively and smiled.

“I’d love that.” Laslow stretched out. “Berries it is.”

His first thought had been that being alone was best, because nobody would be there to listen to whatever he’d end up saying. But having Ophelia around was sort of comforting and kept his mind on her as opposed to the few who would pass by. He’d say sweet things, mention happy little memories of when his parents were alive.

And he could gratefully feel the effects of the spell fading, falling into what seemed normal conversation with her when he did speak up. There was less of a pressure. At least, he felt that.

The dancer even felt fit to help with the priming of weapons and shields in the smithery for their ongoing campaign. Ophelia might have not even needed to be close by to shut him up if necessary, but he liked having her around.

Though he spent lunch just with her, Laslow felt prepared to sit on the dining hall with everyone else now. The spell had faded, he’d be fine. So on dinner he'd do that.   
  
  
"I think that's a good choice. If we stay too much time around each other people could figure something was going on and try to take advantage of me knowing the spell." Ophelia input a moment after the dinner bell tolled.   
  
"I'd very much like to not be framed as needing to be babysat for his motor mouth." Laslow added. "And your mom was already on edge, so figures."   
  
"So let's go! I think it should be fine now."

  
On one of the tables, they still sat together, because they did enjoy each other's company (and the mage had gotten used to being a levelhead for him all day, so it was hard to brush that off now).   
  
It was nice! Despite the chatter all around them, Laslow managed to stay quiet. She had to wonder if it could also be because she wasn't a strong enough spellcaster to make the magic last long anyway. This meant she didn't have to be too afraid of testing her skills around the army now, right? Right?   
  
"Hey, Laslow." Shura called while slurping his soup. "I heard around that you got yourself into the bath while the girls were there; say, it was on purpose, wasn't it?"   
  
"Actually, no," The dancer replied. "I wanted to have a relaxing soak alone, maybe with Xander to pet my head a little."   
  
The blonde mage at his side immediately went on alert. Did he want to say that last bit?   
  
Eyes were already drawn to him oddly with that, but he didn't stop. Maybe he couldn't stop. The unease that settled on his face was a giveaway. "It was a surprise to see them there, probably a bad one, but to my body it was the opposite, so much I later had to go off to-"

  
Everyone jumped a little when Ophelia forcefully tugged him by the hair and kissed him, very, very intently.

His concerned eyes shot open.

As she parted, there was a sound of Niles clapping (of course), and Laslow seemed to have nothing to say- actually, he simply fell back as though he’d been hit with a fainting spell.

“Sorry, I ended up casting a spell that makes him unable to shut up! He’ll get better soon though. I think. I practiced.”   
  
Still nobody spoke, though Odin seemed to be very quick to say “You know, a kick would have done just as well.   
  


“No violence here.” Kamui pressed, and Odin ducked his head submissively. Niles rolled his eyes and pulled his head back up.

  
  
...   


  
  
Later on, after Ophelia had papped Laslow awake and helped him finish his meal, she dragged him out of the dining hub while quelling his first question.   
  


“I think the effects were already out of your system, just not fully. Most spells have aftershock effects, stemming from your mind being used psychologically to the state of the spell. Like someone paralyzed having trouble walking for some minutes after being dispelled.”

“Hmm. So it’s like my mouth ran on its own, huh? To think it could become more embarrassing...” He sighed, and she wanted to protest, but he kept talking. “By the way, you didn’t have to... k-kiss me. Wasn’t that a waste of a first kiss for you?” He turned, flustered, towards her.

"Actually, no." She blushed. "I did want to kiss you. Have for a bit."   
  
Laslow’s heart skipped a beat. "Wow. I... I don't know what to say."   
  


“I would gladly do it again. And again...” She brushed aside her unnerve to wink and boast, “You’re kinda like a chosen one of a chosen one! How lucky!”   
  
She then sped ahead, which was a definitive teasing move, to let him think about her words on his own. To think she'd always looked up to him, and now she had enough power to make a move.   
  
This was like Bingo! But even better than that, she wasn't relying on chance or luck - this was all their own doing.   
  
The blonde punched the air with a triumphant jump, not caring whether Laslow saw that or not.

  
He saw her off with awe, feeling as though there were flowers with acid pollen rubbing up on all of him and melting him bit by bit. But it was a good kind of melt.   
  
This made up for all the impulse speech he had to go through, this moment right here. He was internally soaring. Even when he distractedly ended up slamming his face on the doorframe instead of getting in, he didn't care at all.   
  
  
Next day was quieter for him without the spell, and with the newly sprouted knowledge that he may finally have a girlfriend. How old was he now, nineteen? Twenty? And that had been his first real no-joking kiss. Countless painful rejections; were they leading up to this moment?

  
"Feeling ok now?" Ophelia asked, suddenly appearing beside him.   
  
The man kept his silence for a moment, nodding slowly, to show he wasn't forced to spout out his mind anymore. "Maybe better than ever."   
  
  
...   
  
  


They were in Hoshidan territory, so of course the Nohrian royals were highly alert. Their very clothes just screamed “I am a noble from Nohr, please slay me”.

The retainers and their children were especially frisky now that they were no longer in open plains, where ambushes and stealth units couldn’t do anything, with Tsubaki flying overhead to ensure that further.

An arch, columns, trees, now there was a more dangerous and strategic location. Camilla was safer in the sky and Elise had nonchalantly stolen Hinata’s spare clothes the prior night so she looked Hoshidan at a first glance. But Leon and Xander stuck out rather painfully so they were in the middle of their formation, flanked by Takumi and Hana.

It was near dead silence, with their unavoidable marching sounds filling the space and hopefully being hampered by the trees.

Their entire march came to a halt when Keaton spruced up his ears.

“We aren’t alone. This is bad.” He warned.

Weapons were drawn, shields raised, handles grasped tighter. Dead silence. If this forebode a ninja attack, things would turn bleak quickly.

Heart rates skyrocketed as the enemy seemed to take notice of their watchfulness and attacked.

An arrow was loosed and just as quickly Nina caught it with her body before it could hit Leon, adrenaline numbing her to the pain of her arm being pierced.

Just as quickly, Takumi shot an arrow towards the source of the attack; but it became obvious the archer wasn’t alone when other Hoshidans lunged.

Laslow was on it in an instant, parrying a katana blow before it could slash Xander’s mare. A veritable whoosh enveloped the center of the army as Ophelia was swift enough to put up a force shield to counter a thrown kodachi.

The army was at a disadvantage with the narrow forest path they were on. Mobility, especially with the horses, was limited.

They were already close to each other due to their retainer positions, but it was thrummingly pleasant when Ophelia zipped right to Laslow’s side, doing a surprisingly good show of keeping up with his graceful steps. The warrior kept up a great fight, fending off the dancer’s blows and walking out of Thunder’s range until a magic hit struck him full-on and incapacitated him against the nearest tree.

No sooner had a swordmaster in a katana lock with Hana barked “traitor!” in her face, likely for her position of defense over Nohr’s future king, Laslow tackled him and got him on the ground while keeping his own balance. Ophelia gave her own finishing flair by paralyzing the man with lightning jolts.

Jakob’s quick-flitted arms spun a freeze staff to numb the legs of forward-attacking foes, easily allowing Hayato and Velouria to pick them off as they struggled.

“Everyone! Let’s pick up the pace! Forward!” Kamui shouted, making some mounts rise on their back legs. An army in an accelerated march was something to be reckoned with, and the Hoshidan soldiers who were down but still conscious couldn’t do anything at the many people rushing past them.

They only slowed down to a stop when they were sure the ambushers were all safely left behind.

The ones who fought, especially Laslow, Ophelia, Velouria and Hayato, were on their tiptoes with the adrenaline, the rush of battle. The others, not so much; Hana was still distraught with the call of traitor and she wasn’t the only one to be called that back there.

Niles was leaning over his daughter in equal parts pride and concern, checking the dripping wound closely.   
  
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Nina insisted, arm giving slight shakes from the pain.

“I say we retreat into the astral palace for now. We should appear as though we’ve already left the area. Then we can resume the march in the dead of night.” Kamui suggested in his not-quite-authoritative tone. After the others voiced their agreement, the dragon sent a jet of water straight upwards into the sky, warning the soaring Tsubaki and Camilla to get closer so they could return as well. He then enveloped them all in a dimensional field and brought them to the traveler’s plaza.

  
Sakura insisted on being the one to heal Nina, leaving Elise to check around the others for more damage. Not that there could be a lot to do about the shock from being ambushed, knowing one of them could have died just like that.   
  


Laslow was feeling electric, maybe from Ophelia’s spells just grazing him but probably from the adrenaline rush. Having taken most of the action upon himself back there wasn't a choice more than a necessity. He had to protect Xander; Peri was in no position of mobility with her mount.    
  
That Ophelia tagged with him was a nice bonus. She wasn't duty-tied as Leon's nor Camilla's retainer, but due to her parents, she very well acted like one. "Ha! The day is saved by our undying loyalty!" The mage raised an arm as though expecting to receive a high-five.   
  
Not one to leave women unattended, especially this sweet girl, he was about to comply before Elise came scurrying towards them with staff in hand. "Did you get hurt? In need of some fixing here?"

  
"Actually-"   
  
"Yes, a little would be alright!"   
  
No?? He whipped his head around in surprise; Ophelia should know, as a magician, not to accept white magic when you're fine. Or did she get hurt someway? That could be the only explanation. He and Brady had found this out the... hard way.   
  
Elise wasn't one to judge when an army member asked for help, getting closer and channeling energy through the staff and unto them. It was energizing, soft, warm - and their lack of wounds had the magic spread on them unbounded, being  _ invigorating _ .   
  
This was the exact opposite of what he needed, which was to cool off the pique of the battle.   
  
"There you go!" Elise announced heartfully, not skipping a beat. "Nice job back there by the way!" She scurried off fairly quickly, probably because she wanted to work on Nina along with Sakura.   
  
Laslow's heart was beating a mile a minute, his skin felt heated and sensitive, and it wasn't so bad but he was too nervous to not feel it amplified like no tomorrow. This was the kind of edged pent-up sensation that drove his lust and passion up the wall and he couldn't focus on anything else.   
  
He had time, he could go back to his room like he always- ah.   
  
Ophelia was in the way. She was looking at him with a sultry gaze that could rival her mom's a million times, while visibly panting to boot. She probably fucking knew. He wasn't one to judge just about anyone on being sly (besides Niles and his daughter because of course), but the transparency that enveloped them since a couple days back wasn't lying now.   
  
They were electrified and it set off like static; she reached for her tome and he dodged in prime time, unsheathing his sword and hitting its blunt side fully against her arm.   
  
That garnered some odd looks immediately, but they seemed to be aware of that and so started walking away while in this play-training, jumping over the water canals instead of taking a bridge.   
  
She attempted to disarm him several times, his full-body twirls frustrating her tries again and again. He shoved her with his shield, not unlike he'd done with the Hoshidan during the ambush, and she fell much like him too.   
  
As like a finisher, he buried his sword on the ground by her head, taking full advantage of his experience with closer-grounds combat.   
  
Normally after being on the "losing" end of a training session, she'd note out her own errors and say she'd do different and better next time, until she was unstoppable as befit her raging blood. But now she was content to just lay on the grass, still visibly panting and giving a very distracting rise-and-fall to her half-visible chest.   
  
It was lucky that they'd managed to allocate themselves on one of the more secluded areas in the Palace for the end of their fight, because they weren't sure who reached out first but they were both grasping at each other's hairs and diving into a needy kiss that looked all but chaste with the way they were practically on top of each other.   
  


Ophelia pulled him away a little after a couple minutes, just so she wouldn't end up choking on saliva. The dancer drew off understandingly, though their spit string breaking off and falling on the patch of skin between her breasts caught his attention.    
  
“Oh.” Laslow exhaled, being helplessly mesmerized, especially as the mage tantalizingly drew her finger along the wet line.   
  
"I say we move this somewhere else? Your room's closer." That was a lie, they were almost the same distance, but she just felt safe in his quarters and loved his smell lingering in it.   
  
“I would not be opposed to that.” They were talking as though they knew what they were doing, which was a lie as well, even though they had expansive fantasies about the likes of this situation.   
  
They tried not to jolt off with the energy they held, putting up a brief façade of being calm and fine, which lasted as long as it took for Laslow to shut the door behind them.   
  
A veritable number of yards away, Selena allowed her arms to cross rigidly over her chest.   
  
...   
  
Ophelia was already settled on his bed without any given warning, smushing her face on the covers and letting her limbs sprawl all around. It would've probably looked funny if not for the fact she didn't lose her grace even then, just making the greyett's heart thump harder.   
  
This anticipation was going to kill him, and no amount of dreaming could have softened this fatal blow.   
  
"Your clothes look pretty stuffy." The mage supplied, looking upside-down at him. She could understand the garments were pretty resistant in battle, but since the time she'd seen him dance with lighter stuff she almost wanted to hide the protective coat away. Not that she'd ever just. Say that. Even though she basically just implied that he should take his clothes off.   
  
"They are. Pretty good for Nohr weather. Though they do feel stifling right now..." He gave a small pull to his collar.   
  
"Maybe you should get down to my level." Ophelia suggested, kinda beating around it, rolling as if to display her wear.   
  
It was pretty stupid of him, but he hadn't given much thought about being on the receiving end of ogling. Though this seemed the logical step after being seen dancing, and considering his wear and that of a dark mage were pretty much on different opposing ends.   
  
This would normally take longer, but his energy pushed off his shyness to undo his belts and take out the outer fluffy shirt, leaving the similarly fluffy coat beneath.   
  
"You look like a teddy bear with all that floof." She grinned before beckoning him closer.   
  
"Owain told me the same thing." He sighed, but caved into her touch. They both let out a heavy breath, letting their lips meld easily into each other once more, a pace slower than they showed on the grass outside.   
  


“Hnnn...” She hummed into his mouth, aura sensibility very pleased with the energy between them. Laslow’s hands found her hips, and she allowed her own to slide around the ridge of his bulky coat. The skin underneath reacted to her touch, drawing them closer. “You smell nice.” She commented.

Her breath hitched when he moved downwards to bury his face in the crook of her neck. “So do you, flower.”

Ophelia found the sensation of being nipped in a sensitive spot kind of odd, but not unwelcome. Her fingerpads moved to rub against his earrings, massaging the heated lobe and taking a small noise from the man.

There was just so little of his skin available to her with those thick clothes, she had to pout. “I want that coat off. Don’t get shy, now.”

Laslow rolled his shoulders as he knelt into a sitting position. He wasn’t any Xander, or Owain, or even Gerome when it came to force fitness, but he liked to think he wasn’t so bad. The coat came off quickly and carefully, leaving his torso bare and plenty more mobile.

The mage first noticed how much smaller he seemed without the bulk of a coat, in contrast to her father who was just about on full display all the time. She surprised herself with how quickly she was on him, barely affording any space as her hands roamed on the skin.

As he let out an appreciative breath, she noted how he was less soft than her. Her fingers pressed into him, checking the firmness-

“Ow ow ow.” Laslow winced, “N-not like that, Ophelia.”

“Ah, sorry.” She leaned in and booped their noses together, caressing the pained areas instead. A nervous swallow, “You can explore my chest, too.”

“...You sure?” He tried not to get too ahead of himself, feeling exposed but not in such a hurry to completely detract attention from himself.

“Yeah, it’s open and everything.” She gave a little laugh at that, jutting out her chest a little. It was true, dark mage outfits weren’t very hiding, but she never questioned it nor minded.

It still didn’t prepare her for the sensation of actually being touched by someone else. Goosebumps ran along her stomach with the cautious grazing, which developed into kneading before he placed his knuckles on the exposed swell of her breast. His eyes quickly flitted upwards to gauge her reactions, which ended up half moot as she responsively pushed her chest onto him.

Laslow drove forward - nail it or bail it - and slid his hand under the skintight material fitted over her mounds, eliciting a contained gasp as his movements touched the more sensitive, not-usually-exposed parts.

“They feel... they feel perfect.” His approach increased in animosity, hands pushing the fabric to the side and rubbing at her nipples. Ophelia saggered as he freely palmed her, pushing herself even further into his touch. This felt way better than when she tried it on herself.   
  
"Ahhnn- Ah-!" She moaned as the ministrations seemed to only make her more sensitive bit by bit, squirming at the heat pulsing straight down into her crotch. Her thoughts were progressively descending into a mess, but she could discern feeling kinda offended that her parents would consider her not fit to be feeling this.   
  
Ophelia cracked an eye open, shivering pleasantly and looking at her partner's lit expression. It wasn't hard to guess he was enjoying this as much as she was, and it felt just as nice to see that as the physical sensations going on.

  
So she went for it; Their position made it easy for her to rub her knee into his groin and he hissed; she could feel his thighs squirm against her advance.

She pressed further, wanting to throw him off the hook so she could recover some coherence from the teeming pleasure he was giving her, which seemed to work as his wrists went more or less slack and he made a soft noise.

Using her training-taught quick recovery, Ophelia tackled him down on the bed and held his arms for balance, one leg pressing down firmly against his crotch with added weigh from gravity. She was able to get a full moan from him this time.

A smile formed among her pants; the turning tables were among her favourite tropes. She wondered if things were going fast, but her energetic state of mind wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Is this alright?” She asked, though her hand was already sliding under the hem of his trousers, teasing.

Laslow wasn’t sure if or how he could answer. He’d dreamed of being touched by a girl countless times, and now that it was about to happen, he had nothing. Managing a nod, he wondered if this is how she felt with his touches; overwhelmed from the get go.   
  
Ophelia's fingers outlined the bulge in his smallclothes before firmly grasping it, doing some tentative jacking that had him already breathless. On her end, she stayed quiet about the fact she'd seen him doing stuff to himself and that's where she was getting pointers from, even though some small part in her wanted to just burst that thought out.   
  
"This looks like a handful to keep in your pants." She commented somewhat playfully, enjoying the feel of the hot hardness against her skin even as there was still a layer of fabric between them. The space just felt stifling in there with the erection pressing up and attemptively outwards.   
  
"It's... not the best to get when you don't want it." He breathed out, a full-body shiver running through him when she slid her palm on the head of his length where a wet spot was already coming through the clothing.   
  
"So, do you want to... get naked?" She asked, with less confidence than she'd wished, heat burning anew on her face as her hand stopped its movements. Ophelia wasn't one to ignore the signs her body was giving to just take him in. 

  
"You mean... both of us?” He faltered as well, though it seemed like something he would be asking as well.   
  
"Yeah! Unless you wanna do like we have no time and just pull your dick ou-mmmhmhh." The girl's vulgar words were cut off with a slappy kiss.    
  
"We've got time here." Laslow input, feeling more at ease with her lightheartedness. Embarrassing it could be, but she just make him want to laugh sometimes. It was good. That was a good sign.   
  


  
Ophelia perked up - she preferred it that way honestly (the thought of a quickie-styled sex was almost as appealing though; she'd have to save that for later), so she wasted no time in trying to get off her soon-to-be-clammy-anyways clothes. Learning how to put them on and off was part of dark mage trade and she didn't think Laslow could help her with it.   
  
With his belt already having been loosened, the man just had to do some efforteous wiggles to cast off his pants, which were left aside on his bed. His smallclothes were soon to follow, not like they were doing an amazing job of covering him anyways. He thought to then help his girlfriend, but found her being surprisingly fast with that complicated-looking clothing. All the upper parts were cast off, leaving her breasts to bounce a bit as she hopped about for the lower portions.   
  


She and her father would downright forgo smallclothes sometimes, as if the distracting and feisty wear wasn’t enough. But not this time - though it made no difference as she cast it off so quickly and it was so small it might as well not have been there.   
  
They both must have jumped into the urge of touching the other flesh-to-flesh because they just ended up bumping and tangling oddly. Ophelia had to laugh. "I guess at this rate we won't get to actually do a number on our virginities."   
  
"I think we're doing great as is." Laslow offered sheepishly, leaning his head against hers and trying to curb his excitement.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, but I mean it! I want us to actually do it. If you're ready. 'Cause I am!" She grinned.   
  
"Alright." The dancer conceded, forcing himself into a more subdued state of mind as his hand snuck from around her backside down to her soft lower lips, and touched around it before making pressure on the opening of the slit.   
  
Ophelia had thought he was being surprisingly forward when he just said ok instead of asking if she was sure and whatnot, but then she realized what he was actually doing now and had to take his wrist (even though that did feel pretty good). “No, no, it really is fine. I don’t have that, ah, barrier anymore.”   
  
He allowed her to draw his hand away with some puzzlement. How could she have...? He didn't want to come off as if he didn't trust her, though.   
  
"Okay." He shifted their positions, gathering her up half onto his lap and holding her back with one arm whilst the other gathered some of his leaking precum to smear it around his length and make things easy(-er). "Ready then,"   
  
"Don't leave me waitiiing." She sang, breathing ragged in anticipation.   
  


Laslow complied, pressing their wet sexes together briefly before starting to breach her. She could immediately feel the difference to her fingers, who were numerous and not very thick, to this one daunting singular rod. It was a bit scary, but a lot more thrilling than that. She could already feel just how great this was going to be.

The man was struggling with an urge to start rutting, dancing against her, she just felt so wonderfully tight while encasing his sensitive flesh with a pulsing heat. He had to keep his focus so he would maintain a consistent pace, until he was almost fully encased within her. She’d begun to fidget around as if trying to get used to him in there.

“No... no issue here, right?” He breathed out.

“If you don’t speed up, then we’ll have problems.” Ophelia replied, noting how their hips were coming to a perfect joining and being very pleased with the realization his size wasn't going to trouble her at all. It was bigger than that one cucumber but a lot better. It had been a bit more daunting to look at than to take in.   
  
Laslow wordlessly heeded her words, not needing much encouragement, allowing himself to slide inside until the hilt. How close they were like this was amazing. Being fully encased was amazing, but he could already feel his body burn for more of the friction of moving.   
  
She tried to move, finding it immediately pretty awkward, and so the dancer stopped her. "Let me," he said.   
  
"Alright." She ceded, burying her face into the crook of his neck and biting down. With a shudder from the sharp sensation, he began his movements, drawing out of her and driving back in, immediately loving the feel of it.   
  
"Ahn, ah." Ophelia sighed whilst licking the place she'd bitten. This was already good. "After this, you are not stopping. A chosen one must walk down a chosen path."   
  
His blood sang at the encouragement, and soon his hips worked through it. He thought he could pride himself in not letting out noises, but grunts grew into moans very easily. It was hot and squishing and good, as if she were trying to suck the seed out of him with her walls.   
  
Their positions were shifting without them noticing fully, but the blonde was thrilled to find her back lowered onto the bed as he moved over her, holding her tighter, his thrusts becoming shallower and making her yelp.   
  
This was amazing, there were no other words, not really honestly, since actual coherent language was fading out of their minds. "Ophelia!" Laslow almost whined in a particularly powerful thrust that had her seeing stars, and she wanted more, so she immediately scrabbled around with an arm.   
  


"Here," She panted, taking hold of one of his hands and guiding it close to their joining point. "Like, like this." She pressed his fingers up against her clit, jolting against the contact but holding him firm.

  
The greyett found he didn't need her hand there but it wasn't unwelcome, fingers curling around and pinching the nub. The mage screamed, and was soon writhing under his ministrations as a few well-done thrusts drove her over the edge. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him tight against her, almost making it a chore for him to keep moving, and gods she didn't want the moving to stop.   
  
She thought the man was saying something, but she didn't exactly care what it could be right now, swallowing his words in a kiss and immediately feeling him seize up and tremble against her. A faint sensation of his come spurting into her, which felt really nice, accompanying very small thrusts, and she was so glad he was feeling good too.   
  
Their frantic actions shambled, gave way to just breathing harshly together. Even if they wanted to say anything, their lungs weren't giving way to it, so they laid there. Ophelia almost wanted to protest when he slid himself out of her, but recognized he needed to gather up his bearings.   
  
It had been sudden (maybe for the best, knowing Owain his daughter would rather act than discuss something this awkward at length), but definitely better than he expected. Nothing had gone wrong and he was so glad.   
  
"We're doing this again. Soon. Probably." Ophelia curled more around him, stretching.   
  
Laslow's throat rumbled with a chuckle. He could honestly get used to this. "After all the waiting you had to do in your pocket dimension, it'd be unfair of me to make you wait more now."   
  
  
...   
  
  


He didn’t know how long it was until he came to; the lights breaching the curtains had dimmed only a little.

A feeling of pure contentment welled in him at the sight of Ophelia by his side, clothes still haphazard and hair everywhere.

Had it really happened? Laslow could hardly believe it. Some faint pain could be felt on the side of his neck, and they didn’t look very clean, so... there was no denying it.

It was still daytime though, so he couldn’t simply spare the luxury of lazing around when he could be needed of assistance. And he didn’t want to look suspicious (more than he potentially was anyway...) staying alone with the young mage for so long. He was even more aware as to why enamored couples snuck off at night now.

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel very sore; probably due to the energy from white magic spending itself. He stretched without issue, feeling self-consciousness creep into him at his naked state. This made him realize a bath would be great right about now.

But that could also be suspicious... maybe he’d just bring a bucket of warm bathwater here, and he could have a cleaning session with Ophelia.

That thought licked hot through him, even as he tried to shake it off while seeking a piece of cloth to clean himself up a little. He had time, they both had. She was still resting for now.

His bulky clothes felt especially insulating now that he wore them again. He was ready to leave now, walking slowly so as to not wake Ophelia up.

He glanced back; she looked really cute, just wrapped up in the blankets in visible contentment.

Unlocking the door slowly, he left and closed it with the same softness after. His angel deserved any rest she could-

"Hey."   
  
Laslow jolted in startle and nearly fell down. There was Selena, leaning against the outer wall with her arms crossed. He wanted to shrink into the ground and disappear, that’d be amazing right about now.

“Hey, Selena.” His voice was trying not to squeak out. “Were you looking for something?”

“Hm, not really. Maybe my daughter, after you both disappeared after sparring?” She seemed to almost sneer. Dangerous.   
  
"O-oh, Ophelia is fine. She's just resting right now."

The redhead pulled herself off the wall. “You don’t have to play mr. oblivious with me. It’s alright. I know that look from Owain.” She stepped forward, “The look of blowing your first load inside of- mmph.” Her words were silenced by Laslow’s hand slapping over her mouth.

“D-don’t just put it like that!” He implored, hushed.

Selena dragged his hand out, sighing. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I know I can’t be keeping a steel grip on her, or you for that matter." She still looked at him sternly. "But that doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook. I know you."   
  
Those words hurt him, but the pain was overwashed by the fear he felt at the moment. "How do you think I'm treating her? Like I'm playing-"

  
“So you’re gonna tell me you love her? With how many compliments you throw around, you make yourself hard to trust on that segment.” The redhead shot right off.   
  


“Look, I don’t know if your idea of commitments is different than mine.” Laslow tried to defend, "I would never play with a girl's heart. Being fake, where would that get me?"   
  
Selena looked as though she was ready to bark something else that could crush him, but were interrupted by a muffled call.   
  


“Mom, are you outside?” They heard Ophelia’s voice call out from the door.

  
Selena didn't answer her, instead raising a single finger at Laslow. "Don't misplace my trust on you, Inigo."   
  
He felt shaken as she walked off, with poise as opposed to storming off. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. In that time, Ophelia opened the door and stepped out cautiously, and it was clear she had made an attempt to fix herself up some.   
  
“What happened?” The blonde asked hushedly, concerned.

“She... she knows what we did.” He was on alert, the howl of sirens still waning in his mind.

“...Oh. Oh damn.” She placed her hand on her chin. “That’s bad right?”

More like, he was glad he could get out of that with his balls intact and not gorily shoved across the ground. “Y.. e.. ah...” He croaked. “She doesn’t really trust me.”

“Doesn’t she trust  _ me _ though?”

“I, I guess so? Maybe she thinks you’re just going with my flow.”

“Aww, no way! I really like you!” Ophelia edged, “I might be young, but I’m a good judge of heart!... I think!”

“Yeeahhh... maybe she just... doesn’t put faith in us... because she has a bad impression of me?” He risked. “I’ve always been rejected before, so that’s all she has to go on from.”

“You know what, I think my parents are just being mean to you. They’re expecting you to die alone or just pick up some floozy along the way. I gotta show them that this is my decision. They will not underestimate Ophelia Dark!" The youth stated triumphantly. "I have no doubt that they're being more lame now because they think they're more adult-y after having me."   
  
Now that she mentioned it, it was probably true. They might be trying their hand at being more mature or protective to give off a parent-esque vibe, which was just... not them.   
  
Laslow was about to say something, but he noticed she was now concentrating. So he waited for her to finish whatever train of thought she might be having.   
  
"I think I got an idea." Ophelia murmured. Then opened one of her hands and punched down on it. "Say Laslow, are you ok with showing off?"   
  
Considering he got mortified with the thought of people seeing him dance, not really. But he couldn't deny the rush of excitement that flared his veins at her question. "I'm ready to listen to what you got."   
  
  
...   
  
  
Laslow thought this was probably wrong on some unspoken level. Ophelia explained that dark mages often walked dubious paths, it was a rule of their beings, so he let her follow with her planning.   
  
  
  
Okay. No regrets. Yet.   
  
“I’m just tying your legs, not your hands, you’re fine.” The blonde reassured him after half-heartedly tightening the ropes tying his legs to her room's chair.   
  
The fact she wasn't going to tie his arms was even weirder than this, but he understood the sentiment; if he was fully tied up, it could easily look like he was being taken advantage of, but with his arms free he could make a show of pulling her closer, caressing her and also dictating her pace.   
  
This is what he supposed, since he wasn't sure how deep she'd go - she said not too much, it's not like her parents would stick around to watch a whole ordeal if she thought about it. They just had to make them see enough.   
  
Ophelia just had to play an expectation game so they would be inclined to seek her out, then make it out to be an accident. Which was perfectly possible to happen someday, but she wasn't about to let more days of her parents hounding her boyfriend go by.   
  


It was mischievous. Dark mage faire, duly noted. Not to mention it was actually making him more excited than it should. Like his performances, perhaps, just a tad more intimate. And he wouldn't be using his legs, which were probably going to go numb soon if those young parents didn't show up soon.   
  
Their breaths were held for any noise or atmosphere change, and Ophelia looked at the door at all times, sometimes chancing a glance at him and running a hand through his hair.   
  
"I think they're coming." She professed, pressing closer to him, then more hushed, "Get ready."   
  
It's not like he could do much, but he just let his hand rest loosely on her hip for now. They were currently nervous, but they had to be on point in case the sight of Odin and Selena's faces made them want to grin stupidly. Which would kinda ruin the point of this not meaning to look planned.   
  
Ophelia already began to pepper his face with kisses, palming his sides sensually. Her lips traced his jaw and gave slight bites that got Laslow shivers. They noticed the new presence with a shift of the light in the room, signaling they were standing outside. At the moment the man was going to look startled to the side, Ophelia kissed his mouth, legitimately surprising him.   
  
He glanced quickly at the door, probably looking every bit as mortified about it as he should, taking care to slide his hand from her hip to the small of her back to show he was in fact not fully bound. True to expectation, Odin stood at the half-opened door, with Selena behind him, and wide eyes on both their expressions.   
  
Thankfully, this was actually getting him nervous instead of filling him with unbidden mirth; it made it easier to pretend they were walked on accidentally.   
  
The girl looked back at her parents in a way she hoped was sensual as she kept kissing their childhood friend. Some kinda "don't mess with me" stare, maybe. She openly licked his lips afterwards to prove that no, this wasn’t to "shut him up" this time.    
  
She slid down his body without skipping a beat, breaking eye contact to signal how she ultimately didn't mind what they thought of this, because this moment was for her and Inigo, yeah!   
  
Laslow's breath hitched at her warm breath on his waist, mouth latching to the crotch of his pants in what was a real steep escalation. The mage's head drove forward as if she were taking him, and the man couldn't bite back his keening moan fast enough, hand immediately darting down to her head and stroking the blond locks. They were with clothes on, but the lewdness of the act wasn't lost because of it. At this point he was too ashamed to turn his eyes back to their watchers.   
  
When Ophelia opened her mouth and dipped her tongue out, she did send a glance towards her parents. Her mom looked about ready to crush something in her fist before Odin simply pulled her by the sleeves, hurrying away.   
  
Now that they were gone, the nervousness the youths felt rinsed off into a sort of spiteful mirth. They were smiling, and shared a look. Even if one of them ended up slapping him for this later, Laslow didn't think he could care right now.   
  
"Yes! Can't tell me what to do!" Ophelia beamed and jumped, tried to pull her boyfriend up into a hug but due to him being stuck to the chair, it just made a loud noise.   
  
  
Said noise could be heard on the lower floor of the room barracks, which ruffled Selena up even further at the thought of her daughter doing MORE with Inigo. Which on that matter wasn't helping the heat flaring up in her veins with something other than anger.   
  
Odin looked more distressed than her. "I need help?? That was the hottest thing I've ever seen!”

Selena sighed; they probably didn’t need counseling. Probably.

  
  
**(bonus omake: if Inigo was Chrom's son)** **  
** "Hey, Ophelia... there's something you might wanna see."   
  
"Hm?"   
  
"Look into my eyes."   
  
She squinted, leaning closer to him. It seemed that one of his eyes was different than the other... she frowned, trying to-   
  
A gasp came with the recognition of the mark in his right eye; it was the same as on her arm?! No way!   
  
“But this- is it that you’re a chosen one? You had said... those in Ylissean royal family...”   
  
“No one here is meant to know. I’m Owain’s cousin.” He blinked, and it was pretty clear that this mark really was within his eye.   
  
It would take a bit to wrap her head around, but- that meant Laslow was family! So she had family that was alive!   
  
Ophelia hugged him roughly, squeezing the breath out of him. “No wonder we connect so well!”   
  
He had been expecting the worst, so he was surprised when she just kissed him.   
  
“I haven’t been this happy for a long time, so can I borrow one of my mom’s quotes? Don’t say a word~” She nuzzled up to him. And well, that was just fine.   
  
  
  
  



End file.
